Logging apparatus



May 4, 1943. P. GRABINSKI LOGGING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet l INVEI'VTOR Pk/W) firm/05m May 4, 1943. P. GRABINSKILOGGING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R m mm M 2 M Wm H6m f y 1943- P. GRABINSKI LOGGING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENITOR flTTOR/VEYS .to hang in a curve.

Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE LOGGING mans-ms PhilipGrabinski, South Prairie, Wash.

Application July 21, 1942, Serial No. 451,909

4 Claim.

This invention relates to skidder apparatus of a type adapted for use inlogging operations.

Objects of this invention are to simplify and render more eflicientskidder apparatus of this type; to make possible a substantial saving orconservation of wire cables, pulley blocks, carriages and like equipmentin skidder apparatus of this type; to provide skidder apparatuswhich canbe operated at a substantial saving in labor and at a substantial savingin cost of timber handled as compared to skidder apparatus of the typeheretofore in common use; to provide skidder apparatus that is safer forworkmen to handle and that does away with a cause of accidents inherentin skidder apparatus now in common use; and to provide skidder apparatusthat will speed up production in the logging industry and that willconserve timber. Another object is to provide skidder apparatuseliminating the commonly used taut "sky line.

In skidder apparatus of the form commonly used for hauling in logs inthe woods, especially in rough and mountainous country, it is commonpractice to use a wire rope sky line stretched between two spars,usually trees, as a trackway for a carriage that is used in lifting andhauling in the logs. For the logging of heavy timber it is commonpractice to use a wire rope sky line two inches in diameter and from twoto three thousand feet long. A two inch sky line three thousand feetlong will weigh about nine tons,

and is a very heavy and cumbersome article to handle. Often it has to bestretched relatively taut between the two spars so that it will be highenough at all points to support the load at a required elevation abovethe ground-this is particularly true when a relatively long tong line isused to connect the load to the carriage. The strain on this slw linedue to its initial tensioning plus its own weight and the weight of acarriage and heavy load of logs is very great and is much more when saidsky line is drawn taut than when it is loosely suspended and allowed Thespars must be of great strength and must be supported by many strong guylines .to render them capable of supporting a sky line of the type abovedescribed. The pulley blocks through which a two inch sky line runs mustnecessarily be large and heavy and are difllcult and cumbersome tohandle. The carriage used on such a sky line oftenrweighs as much asthree tons. Usually two two-inch sky lines, each about three thousandfeet long, are provided for each logging operation sothat while one ofsaid sky lines is being used to log on one strip or road the other skyline can be hauled out into the woods ready to be put up on the nextstrip or road to belogged oil.

The lines and equipment heretofore used in a typical sky line loggingoperation are substan tially as follows:

6000 feet of two-inch sky line; 5000 feet of one and one-eighth inchreceding line;

2500 feet of one and one-eighth inch skidding 7 Nine tie up chains;

Fifteen two-inch cable clamps;

Six large shackle and tightening blocks for sky 9 lines; and rigging,such as blocks and guy wires.

for both the head spar and the tail spar. A tong line and a number ofchoker lines are also used.

In contrast to the large amount of wire cable and other equipment usedin a typical sky line logging operation, as above explained. myskidderapparatus for the same logging operation does not require a sky line ortransfer line or fall line. Also, my apparatus requires only 4500 feetof one and one-eighth inch receding line; 2500 feet of one andone-eighth inch skidding line; 3000 feet of flve-eighths inch slackpullingiine; 5000 feet of one-half inch straw line; one main carriageweighing about 350 pounds and having three sheaves; one or two recedingline blocks having hook means connected therewith and forming a.secondary carriage; two tie up chains; and a nominal amount of riggingsuch as, pulley blocks and guy wires for the head spar and tail spar.

of pulley blocks, tie-up chains, cable clamps, shackles and the like.Also greater latitudes of operation are ei'lected as the reduced weightsoi necessary equipment on the spar trees make lighter and more remotelysituated trees available as spar trees.

In addition to the savings in material above listed, my skidderapparatus, when used in a typical logging operation as hereinbeiorementioned. can be operated with less men, and eliminates much strain onthe men employed because they do not have to handle as much heavyequipment. A typical sky line logging operation requiring the equipmentabove mentioned will usu ally require a crew of about twenty-one men. Ihave operated my apparatus successfully with a crew of seventeen men andhave been able to bring in more logs than are ordinarily brought in by acrew of twenty-one men using the conventional sky line equipmenthereinbefore mentioned. This is a saving of four men over the usual crewof twenty-one.

The increased production, made possible by the use of my apparatus, isdue largely to the fact that it requires less time to make an initialset-up of my apparatus in a new location in the woods and less time tochange roads, 1. e., to move my apparatus from one strip to the nextadjacent strip on the same location after the logs are all picked up oi!the first mentioned strip.

In making an initial set-up in a new location, with the conventional skyline apparatus heretofore used, it is necessary to rig up both a headspar and a tail spar. This usually consumes from three and one-half tofour days of the time oi. an entire crew of about twenty-one men. Withmy apparatus an initial set-up in a new location can be made in two dayswith only a crew of seventeen men. This makes possible a saving of fromone i and one-half to two days for each initial set-up on a new locationwhere my apparatus is used. It is necessary to make an initial set-up ona new location every four to six weeks. Thus the use of my apparatusmakes possible the saving of from one and one-half to two days everyfour to six weeks. as well as the use of a reduced crew:

After an initial set-up has been made it is common practice to workaround the same head spar and bring in the logs from successive stripsof somewhat segmental shape, each strip being commonly referred to as aroad. As soon as all of the desired logs have been brought in from onestrip, a new tail spar, usually a tree, is selected and the recedingline moved to this new tail spar. With conventional sky line apparatusheretofore used, it requires about one and one-half hours to change fromone road to another when two sky lines are being used alternately forsuccessive roads and would require much longer if the crew were providedwith only one sky line. With my apparatus a change of roads can be madein less than ten minutes. As it is necessary to change excessive wear; arecoding line so positioned on the ground may exert a substantialdownward pull on a sky line carriage when the carriage is positionednear a tail spar thus putting needless strain on the sky line; thesheaves which support a receding line so positioned on the grotmd maybreak or pull loose from their anchor means thus allowing the recedingline to whip across the ground and injure workmen in its path, and afire hazard exists by reason 0! a cable passing over material on theground. My apparatus overcomes all of the above outlined objections byplacing the receding line on the spar members so that itwill not dragover any objects on the ground and can not be caused to whip across thefield of logging operations on which men are working, and by using saidreceding line to support the carriage and the load as well as to governthe movement of the same.

Another object of my invention is to provide skidder apparatus in whichall of the lines are moving lines-thus obviating the danger of draggingone line across a single spot of another line and thereby subjecting thesaid other line to excessive wear and damage in said single spot.

Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic view in side elevation of loglifting and hauling equipment constructed in accordance with myinvention showing the several parts in a position they may occupy at thetime the cables are being connected with logs on the ground;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the several parts as theymay appear when logs are being hauled in; v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the carriage members and cables ona larger scale than they are shown in Figs. 1 and roads about every oneand one-half days, this is a substantial saving in time.

Also, in skyline logging apparatus of conventional form heretofore used,it is common prac tice tooperate the receding line on the ground. To dothis the receding line is usually passed through pulley blocks that arepositioned oil to one side of the area being logged with the outermostpulley block positioned near the tail spar. Suchan arrangement of thereceding line is open to the following objections: a receding line sopositioned on the ground may be drawn at high speed over rocks or logsthus subjecting it to Fig. 4 is a viewin elevation similar to Fig. 3showing a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view similar to Figs. 1 and 2 showingthe apparatus connected up in a different way than it is in Figs. 1 and2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified manner ofrigging up a spar tree at the outer end of a line to avoid reverse bendsin a supporting cable;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view showing the drums of a logging enginethat is especially well adapted for use in connection with my invention;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of said drums with parts showndiagrammatically and other parts shown in section on line 8-4 of Fig.'7;

Fig. 9 is a detached view of a drive shaft used in connection with saiddrums showing parts in section;

Fig. 10 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating my inventionapplied to high lead logging, and showing logs being hauled in; and

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 illustrating Lille cold decking oflogs that have been hauled In the preferred form of my apparatus shownin Figs. 1 to 5, I provide a main supporting and hauling cable i2, whichhas the function of a line commonly referred to in the art as a recedingline and cable i2 is hereinafter so termed. The receding line I! iswound upon a receding line drum 5!! of a logging engine i4 and passesover a sheave i5 on a head spar It, usually a tree, thence around one ormore sheaves at the location of a tail spar i'l, also usually a tree,and thence to a main carriage block l8 to which it is secured, as by ahook i9. Figs. 1, 2 and 5 show the receding line I 2 as passing over asheave 20 on the tail spar ll, thence around a sheave 2| that'isanchored to a stump 22 thence over a sheave 23 on the tail spar l1 andback to the carriage I3.

I have found this arrangement of the sheaves 2|, 2i and 23 to besatisfactory. However, I am able to reduce the number of sheaves overwhich the receding line l2 passes, thereby reducing friction andreducing the danger of undesirable reverse bends in this receding line12 by using a single sheave 24 on the tail spar ll, as shown in Fig. 6.,When a single sheave 24, such as shown in Fig. 6, is used then the tailspar I! may be supported by guy line means. One satisfactory way ofsupporting this tail spar l1 by guy line means is tosecure two sheaves25 and 28 to the upper end portion of the tail spar I1 and pass a guyline 21 through these sheaves, said guy line 21 having its respectiveend portions secured to two stumps 28 and 29 and having a medial portionthat preferably is passed around a stump 30. The guy line 21 will slideenough on the stump 30 to substantially equalize the pull on all laps ofthe same and said guy line will anchor and support the top end portionof the tail spar IT.

The main carriage 18 has an upper sheave 3| that runs on the upperportion of the receding line that extends between the head spar l andtail spar ll. A lower sheave 32 is also operatively mounted in the maincarriage l8 and is adapted to have a cable 33, commonly referred to as atong line, passed thereover.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I connect thetong line 33 with a secondary carriage 34 that is supported from thereceding line l2 by a sheave 33. v

A skidding line 35 is wound on a drum 5| on the logging engine l4,thence passes over a sheave 31 on the head spar l6 and is secured to thesecondarycarriage 34 as by a hook 39.

A slack pulling line 38 is wound on a slack pulling drum 52 of thelogging engine l4, thence passes over a sheave 40 on the head spar l3,thence preferably extends through a guide 4| on the secondary carriage34, thencepasses around a sheave 42 that is carried by the carriage I3,

I and thence extends to, and is connected with,

the secondary carriage 34, as by a hook 43.

In the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 4, the secondary carriage member 34is dispensed with, and the slack pulling line 38 is secured directly tothe skidding line 35, preferably by a sleeve 44 on said skidding line.Preferably the sleeve 44 fits loosely on the skidding line 35 so thatrelative rotary movement of this sleeve and the skidding line areprovided. Preferably, I provide one or more rings 45 on the skiddingline for engagement by one end of the sleeve 44 and I provide anenlargement 46 in the skidding line 35 toserve as a stop for the rings45. The enlargement 45 is preferably made in a conventional manner byseparating the metal strands of theJine 5 and inserting U-shaped piecesof relatively oft wire, commonly termed "hairpins between the metalcable strands so separated.

These pieces of soft wire will not cut or wear the harder strands of theskidding line 35 and the line 35 will return to its normal size when thepieces of wire are removed. The pieces of wire may be removed andinserted at different cations at frequent intervals to preventobjectionable wear of the cable at one location by the sleeve 44. In thestructure shown in Fig. 4, a, portion of the skidding line beyond theenlargement 43 constitutes the tong line and is ninnbered 41 in saidFig. 4. It is also possible to use a separate tong line ith theapparatus shown in. Fig. 4. and to connect this separate tong line withthe-skidding line 35 of Fig. 4, adjacent the enlargement 43.

In all instances, any portion or extension of the skidding line 35beyond the point where it connects with the slack pulling line 33 isregarded as a tong line.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 4, will operate satisfactorily if carefullyhandled, but I prefer to use the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, asit is more fool proof and there is less danger of the slack pulling line33 becoming twisted around the tong line in the said apparatus as shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Fig. 5 shows a modified hook-up of my apparatus in which the partsarearranged so that the receding line willbe subjected to less strain inthe event it is desired to move the logs backward or toward the tailspar ll than it will be if the form of connection shown in Figs. 1 to 4is used.

I accomplish this by reversing the relative positions of the-maincarriage l3 and secondary carriage 34. When this is done the skiddingline 35 is connected with the main carriage II, the receding line I2 isconnected with the secondary carriage 34. The slack pulling line passesaround the sheave 42, which has been transferred to the secondarycarriage '34, and is connected with the main carriage l8. The tong line33 in Fig. 5 passes over the sheave 32 and is connected with thesecondary carriage 34. It will be noted that, in Fig. 5, the recedingline l2 and to'ng line 33, are, in effect, connected with each other byconnecting both of them with the secondary carriage 34.

When the parts are connected in the manner shown in Fig. 5 and the tongline 33 is, in effect, thus connected directly with the receding line H,and pull, that is exerted on the receding line i2 tending to move theload back toward the tail spar II, will be transmitted directly to theload.

When the parts are connected a'sshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, tension or apull on'the receding line l2 in a direction tending to move the loadback toward the tail spar I! will be exerted on the sheave 32 which willbe in the bight of the tong line 33 so that only approximately one-halfof the receding line tension will be applied to the load and thremainder of said tension will be expended against the skidding line 35.

The arrangement of the several parts shown in Fig. 5 thus reducestension or strain in the receding line when loads are to be moved towardthe tail spar tree II. This arrangement is only used in instances wherethe around over which I the logs are being moved is such as to requirethe loads to b moved backwardiy at frequent intervals.

In Figs. '1, 2 and 5 I show a straw line 43 that may be used inconnection with this skidder ap-. paratus as hereinafter explained.Preferably this straw line is made up of a plurality of sections of wirecable, each section preferably being light enough in weight sothat, whenit is coiled, it can be carried in the woods by one'man.

My skidder apparatus can be used in connection with any logging enginethat has suitable drums for the lines I2, 35, 33 and 48. However, Iprefer to use the same in connection with the logging engine disclosedin Figs. 7, 8 and 9.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show somewhat diagrammatically a loggin engine havingan arrangement ofwinding drums especially well adapted for usewith myskidder apparatus as shown in the preceding figures.

These drums comprise a receding line drum 58, a skidding line drum 5i, aslack pulling line drum 52, and preferably two straw line drums 53 and54. The drums 58, Ill and 52 are mounted on three shafts 55, 56 and 51respectively and the nect or disconnect the respective drums 50, 5I

and 52 and gearwheels 60, SI and 62. The clutch 68 is operable toconnect or disconnect drum 50 and gearwheel 6.3 and the clutch 61 isoperable to selectively connect or disconnect either the drum 8 53 orthe drum 54 as respects the shaft 58. The gearwheels 68, 6|, 62 and 69are preferably each freely rotatable on the shafts on which they arecarried. The gearwheel 63 is rigidly secured to its shaft 58 asby a key58. shown in Fig. 8.

The clutches 64, 65, 66, and 68 are preferably each capable of beingoperated to frictionally lock together the gearwheel and the drumbetween which they are positioned. The clutch 61 is preferably capableof being operated to selectively frictionally lock either of the drums53 or 54 to the shaft 58, leaving the other drum disconnected, or toleave both of said drums 53 and 54 disconnected and freely rotatable onsaid shaft 58. Each clutch 64, 65, 66, 61 and 68 may be operated in themanner common to equipment of this type by means such as a rod I0longitudinally movable in the shaft on which the clutch is mounted. Asclutch operating means of this type is very well known in the art, it isshown III form they are herein shown somewhat diagrammatically.

The engine I4 is provided with a transversely extending driven shaft I6that is driven by a suitable prime mover ll, shown diagrammatically inFigs. 1 and 4. The shaft I6 has one gear pinion 18 that meshes with thegearwheel 6| and another gear pinion I9 that meshes with the gearwheel63. The pinion I8 is of substantially smaller size than the pinion I8and these two pinions provide a slow speed gear ratio for lifting andhauling a load and a faster speed gear ratio for moving the emptycarriage out into the woods to' pick up a load. Preferably both of thepinions l8 and 13 are rotatable on the shaft 16 and said pinionsearerespectively provided with clutch ele ments 88 and 8|. Other clutchelements 82 and 83 are adapted to be moved into and out of drivingengagement relative to the respective clutch elements 80 and 8|.Preferably the clutch elements 82 and 83 are splined] to the shaft I6.

In Figs. 1 to 4, the carriage I8 is supported on the upper lap ofreceding line I 2 and is moved in one direction by receding line I 2 andin the other direction by skidding line 35. Tail and head spars, as IIand I8, are commonly spaced apart about 2000 feet with the interveningterrain often rough and uneven and with canyons present. Also the tailspar is frequently at a higher elevation than the head spar. Underconditions commonly present, my skidder mechanism will permit greaterdistances between the head and tall spars than was heretoforepractically possible.

In Fig. 1 is shown: choker lines 86 connecting a load as two logs 85,with tong line 33; one line 86 connected with hook 81 fixed on line33'and the other connected with a hook 88 slidable on line 33; and withcarriages I8 and 34 in positions occupied before the load is lifted.

My skidder mechanism may operate'with the receding line I2 slack and nottaut (see Fig. 2 which provides for maximum load carrying capacity. Thecarriage I8 is moved toward tail spar I! by winding in receding line l2and paying out of both skidder line 35 and slack puller line 38. Duringsuch movement, preferably the hooks 81 and 88 on the tong line 33, aredrawn closely to the carriage I8. After the carriage I8 is suit-.

ably positioned, carriage 34 may be moved toward carriage I8 and tongline 33 lowered by holding receding line I2, paying out skidding line35, and winding in slack puller line 38.

Referring to Fig. 4, the tong line 41 may be lowered by holding recedingline I2, paying out skidding line 35, winding in slack pulling line 38,and thus moving sleeve 44 toward carriage I8. Due to the shortness andminimum weight of the tong line on one side of sheave 32, the hooks 81and 88 and the choker lines on the other side of said sheave willprovide sufficient weight for gravity lowering of the tong line. As Imay, at will, provide slack in lines I2, 35, and 38, and cause thecarriage and parts connected therewith, including the tong line, to belowered, I have provided a relatively large logging area and at the sametime a short and relatively light tong line. Such tong line provides forease in handling the same and eliminates the need for a driven tong lineand also eliminates the wear on the tong line which was a necessaryincident to a driven tong line employing the usual prior art grippingdriving devices. Also there is less break-up of logs, when a short tongline is employed, as swinging of the logs is lessened.

As the carriage l8 may be lowered to the ground, I not only may useshort and light tong lines which may be moved by one man, but canoperate over a large area as the full length of the tong line may extendbetween two objects on the ground. As the logs may be moved close to thecarriage, the carriage may travel at elevations close to the groundwhile dragging logs.

After tong line 33 connects with the load (Fig. 1), the load may beraised to a haul-in position (Fig. 2) by holding receding line I2,releasing slack pulling line 38, and winding in skidding line 35windingin one line 35 draws tong line 33 through sheave 32 until hooks 88-81engage carriage I8 and then the carriage is raised. It is commonpractice to raise the forward ends of logs (Fig. 2) enough to clear mostobstacles and then drag the logs to a loading position near head sparI6.

In view of the sag in receding line I2 and skidding'line 35 aspreviously explained, I can successfully and safely use a receding lineof one and one-eighth inch diameter under the same load conditionsrequiring two-inch diameter sky lines of the prior art.

After logs are raised to the haul-in position (Fig. 2),'they may behauled to head spar l8 by simultaneously winding in skidding line 35 andpaying out receding line l2. While receding line l2 and skidding line 35Jointly support the load and are therefore of the same size, obviouslyslack pulling line 38 is also wound in while the load is being hauledin. In order to provide for greater speed as the carriage moves towardtail spar l1 and greater power as the carriage moves toward head sparl8, drum 58 will wind in at higher speed and with less leverage thanwill drum 5|.

In the event further elevation of the load is desired at any time, Ipreferably hold receding line l2 and wind in skidding line 35. It ispossible to lift the load by holding skidding line 35 and winding inreceding line l2. If the load encounters an obstacle and it is desiredto move the same backward (i. e., toward tail spar l1) this may be doneby simultaneously winding in receding line H and paying out skiddingline 35 and slack pulling line 38.

In backing up with a load with the apparatus of Figs. 1-4 (1. e., movingtoward the tail spar), receding line I! is wound in until the carriageis positioned a substantial distance behind the load, with the tong line33 substantially doubled and the sheave 32 positioned in the bight ofthe tong line. Then the receding line is held and a pull is exerted onthe skidding linethus tightening all lines and tending to lift the load.In such operation thesupport for sheave 32 is the receding line whichmust take substantially twice the strain which is applied to the load.Inbacking up with the apparatus of Fig. 5, receding line I2 is wound inuntil the carriage I8 is at its greatest distance back of the load sothat the tong line extends substantially straight from the load throughthe sheave 32 to carriage member 34 and thus connects with receding linel2. Then receding line I2 is held and skidding line 35 wound in.- Thustension is exerted in the receding and skidding lines and the load islifted but the tension on the receding line is not applied through theleverage of a sheave block. Thus where the nature of a particularlocation requires frequent backward movements of the load, the apparatusof Fig. 5 is preferable.

The log g engine shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9 is particularly well adaptedfor use in connection with the skidder mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 6inclusive.

This logging engine provides slow speed and great power for moving theload when the drums are driven from the smaller pinionand higher speedwith correspondingly less power for moving the carriage back toward thetail spar I! after a load has been released.

The gears 88, 8|, 62 and 83 are all rotatable on their shafts and eachdrum can be manipulated in such a manneras to secure maximum speed ofoperation of the skidder mechanism. Each drum is provided with its ownindividual brake which may be used to retard the drum or to hold itimmovable. The gears 60, BI, 62 and 63 are all interlocked and it willbe noted from Fig. 8 that the receding line I2 and skidding line 35 windin the same direction on their drums and the slack pulling line winds inan opposite direction on its drum.

In the operation of this logging engine, to move the carriage l8outwardly from the head spar l8, the engine operator preferably releasesthe drums 8| and 52 and engages the clutch 68 and the clutch 8|, 83.This utilizes the high speed gears 13 and 83 to drive the receding linedrum 58 in a counterclockwise direction with reference to Fig. 8,thereby winding in the receding line 2 and moving the carriage |8outwardly on said receding line to the position where a load is to bepicked up. While the carriage I8 is being moved outwardly the gears 19and 88 will necessarily be operating but all of the other gearspreferably will be stationary and the brake 12 on the skidding line drum5| preferably will be set lightly to provide a drag on this drum. Whenthus operated, rotation of the gears 80, 8|, 82, 83 and 18, with theaccompanying wear and noise of said gears, is avoided during the outwardmov'ement of the carriage. This is the usual and preferred mode ofoperation as it avoids rotating the gears- 88, 6|, 62, 63 and 18 whenhigh gear speeds are being used in moving the carriage l8 outwardly.

Should it be desired to interlock the skidding line drum 5| to thereceding line drum 50 so that the skidding line 35 will 'be paid outwhile the carriage I8 is being moved outwardly, this can be done byengaging the clutches 64 and 65 while the clutches 68 and 8|, 83 areengaged and theclutch 80, 82 disengaged. When this is done it will notbe necessary to use the brake 12 as a drag on the skidding line drum andthe carriage'can be moved outwardly at a faster speed than it can whenthe gears 60, 8|, 62, 63 and 18 are allowed to idle, but there will bemore gear wear and gear noise.

After the carriage I8 has been moved outwardly to the location of theload that is to be picked up then the clutch 8|, 83 is disengaged, thereceding line I2 is held by setting the brake II on the receding linedrum 50, the skidding line 35 is released, and the slack pulling line 38is wound onto the drum 52 by engaging the clutch 88 and the clutch 88,82. This moves the secondary carriage 38 toward the carriage l8 andlowers'the hook carrying end of the tong line 33. If the apparatus shownin Fig. 4 is being used, the sleeve 44 will be drawn toward the carriagel8 and the hook carrying end of the tong line 81 lowered when the slackpulling line 38 is wound in. The hooks on the end of the tong line areheavy enough to insure that the tong line will be lowered when it isslacked by the slack pulling line.

.After the load has been attached to the tong line 33 the receding line|2'is heldnon-movable by brake 1|, the slack pulling line 38 is releasedby releasing clutch 82 and the skidding line 35 is wound on the drum 5|by engaging clutch 85 and driving through gears! and 18 to lift the loadsubstantially vertically as much as it is desired to lift said load.

As soon as the load has been lifted high enough for bringing it in, theoperator simultaneously engages the clutch 88 and disengages the brake1|, thus leaving the receding line drum 50 and the skidding line drum 5|interlocked,for rotation in opposite directions at the same speed, bymeans of gearwheels 88 and 6|. The receding line |2 then winds of! ofthe drum 50 at the same speed that the skidding line 35 winds onto thedrum 5| and this moves the load towardthe head spar l6 and holds it atthe desired elevation. The slack pulling line 38 is wound in at the samespeed as the skidding line-by holding the clutch 86 in engaged position.

Usually, in hauling in logs, the forward ends of the logs are lifted oflof the ground and the rear ends allowed to drag on the ground. Ifdesired the carri e may be stopped and theload raised or lowered at anydesired-point along the line cables and operating drums therefor.

justments may be made to compensate for-variations in the winding in andpaying out of the lines 39 and I2 as they wind onto and of! of theirrespective drums and tend to increase or decrease the eflectivediameters of said drums.

After the load has been hauled in it may be lowered byslacking eitherthe receding line II or the skidding line 35 or both of said lines andthe tong line. will be lower. Also, the receding line I! may be held,the skidding line 35 released, and the slack pulling line 33 drawn inwhich will lower the tong line in closer proximity to the head spar l6.

The straw line 49 which winds on the drums 53 and I4 is only used inmoving the other lines from one location or road to another. It ispreferably made up of a plurality of relatively detacha'ble sections ofwire cable. In practice these sections are usually cable of aboutone-half inch in diameter, about three hundred feet in length and of aweight of about one hundred fifty pounds. This provides straw linesections each of which, when coiled, can be carried by one man. when inuse the several sections of the straw line are carried to the desiredlocations, extended over areas desired, and coupled together by couplingdevices of-conventional form that will run through the sheaves and overthe straw line drums 53 and 54.

"At times it is desirable to wind in on both the receding line 12 andthe skidding line 35. For instance, this may be done in drawing up thetong line 33 after releasing a load and before moving the carriage outinto the field for another load. This may be done by engaging both oftheclutches 90, 92 and 8|, 83 on the drive shaft 16 and by engaging the twoclutches 65 and 68 to connect the drums SI and ill with the gearwheels9| and 99 respectively.

The two carriages l8 and 34 of Figs. 1 to 3 and 5, or the carriage l8and sleeve 44 of Fig. 4 will have utility if used in connection with astationary sky line. In other words, if the top lap ofreceding line I!were a stationary line and the bottom lap thereof were driven by anymeans other than the portion used to function as a stationary sky line,the benefits of my invention relating to the parts l9-34 or "-44 willobtain. However, the commercial utility of such structure would be onlywith short tong line or tong lines employing driven means for loweringthe same. Also, the before mentioned disadvantages of a fixed sky linewill obtain.

My invention is also applicable to that type of logging generally termedin the art as high lead log g." Referring to Figs. 10 and 11, spar treesII and 92, which are respectively the head spar and tail spar, areillustrated. These said spar trees may be supported in any usual mannersuch as, for example, that diagrammatically illustrated in connectionwith tail spar 92.

In high lead logging there are essentially two Therefore. I haveillustrated receding line 93, generally termed in high lead logging asthe holdback, and skidding line 94, generally termed in high lead Vlogging as the main line, which are supported on sheaves on spars 9| and92 and which lines have driven drums for operating the same. In theinterest of simplicity I have only illustrated gen-- erally means forproviding power to the receding line 93 and the skidding line 94. Highlead 10gging is employed where only short hauling of logs is necessaryup to, for example, eight to nine I means.

skidding line function in supporting the load. As

hundred feet. Also, high lead logging is employed where the logs are tobe "cold decked or disposed at locations removed from the tail spar 9|.In high lead logging apparatus as heretofore known, the haul-back linewas used solely as-a hold-back line and ran directly between thesupports as between the head spar and pulleysor the like placed on theground at a remote loca--- tion. The haul-back line continued and wasconnected with the main line and a plurality of chokers were connectedwith the main line so that the main line would drag or pull the logs toa location which was somewhat removed from the head spar. In myapparatus. I employ a receding line 93 which not only hauls the carriagemeans back to the location where further logs are situated, but alsoaids in supporting the logs ofl the ground.

I employ the receding line 93 which is supported by sheave located onthe head spar 9| and the tail spar 92 and which receding line '93 isconnected with the skidding line 94. As a connecting means between thereceding line 99 and the skidding line 94 I employ a carriage 95. Thecarriage 95 is provided with sheave means 99 which is supported onreceding line 93 so that receding line 93 is employed not only as ahaulback line, but as the supporting means for 'the logs. The carriage95 also has what is generally termed in the art as "butt rigging" 91 anda plurality of chokers 98 are secured to the 'butt rigging 91. Generallythe receding line 93 is threequarter to seven-eighth inch cable and theskidding line 94 is generally one and a quarter inch cable. With suchsize cables involved in the lines 93 and 94 and with the usual distancesinvolved for high lead logging, generally only one log is carried at atime by a choker 98. Thus one log 99 will be connected by a choker 98 tothe butt rigging 91 and while said one log 99 is being moved to' alocation such as to the pile of logs I00, the workmen will be placing achoker 98 on a log 99 on the ground so as to be ready to reload as soonas the carriage '95 is returned so that another log 99 may be loaded.

In my modification of high lead logging equipment as heretofore known Ihave thus provided a receding and a skidding line and a carriage meanswhich is connected to the skidding line and is mounted on the recedingline by sheave Thus both the receding line'and the both the recedingline and the skidding line are employed I am able to high lead and do sowith the logs and chokers somewhat oil! the ground. This saves timber,prevents breakage, and tie-; ups. Also, in returning the chokers toobtain further logs, they may be moved above the ground and considerabletime and labor is saved as the chokers will not become entangled,twisted and caught in the various objects on the ground over which theymust pass.

Due to the fact that I am able to operate high lead logging off theground, I am able to run high lead logging systems for length at leastone-third longer than that heretofore found commercially practical.Besides being able to extend the length of operation and make high leadlogging possible over distances not heretofore commercially possible, Iam able to increase the production of logs over high lead loggingsystems heretofore known.

Obviously, changes may be made in the forms. dimensions and arrangementsof the parts of my invention, without departing from the principlethereof, the above setting forth only preferred forms of embodiment.

Iclaim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, sheave means; a driven recedingline drum; carriage means; a receding line operative in spaced relationabove the ground and connected at one end portion to said receding linedrum, passing through said sheave means, and connected at its other endportion to said carriage means; a driven skidding line drum; a skiddingline operative in spaced relation above the ground and connected at oneend portion to said skidding line drum; first sheave means on saidcarriage means; a driven slack pulling drum; a slack pulling lineoperative in spaced relation above the ground and connected at one endportion to said slack pulling drum, passing through said first sheavemeans, and connected at its other end portion to said skidding line;second sheave means carried 'by said carriage means and mounted fortraveling movement on said receding line, whereby said carriage means issupported by and for traveling movement on said receding line by saidsecond sheave means and is also supported jointly by said receding andskidding lines connected thereto; third sheave means carried by saidcarriage means; and a tong line passing through said third sheave meansand connected to the other end portion of said skidding line, wherebysaid slack pulling line will provide slack in said tong line.

2. In apparatus of the class described, sheave means; a driven recedingline drum; first carriage means; a receding line operative in spacedrelation above the ground and connected at one end portion to saidreceding line drum, passing through said sheave means, and connected atits other end portion to said first carriage means; a second carriagemeans; sheave means carried by said second carriage means and mountedfor traveling movement on said receding line; a driven skidding linedrum; a skidding line operative in spaced relation above the ground andconnected at one end portion to said skidding line drum and at its otherend portion to said second carriage; first sheave means on said firstcarriage means; a driven slack pulling drum; a slack pulling lineoperative in spaced relation above the ground and connected at one endportion to said slack pulling drum, passing through said first sheavemeans, and connected at its other end portion to said second carriage;second sheave means carried by said first carriage means and mounted fortraveling movement on said receding line, whereby said carriage memberis supported by and for traveling movement on said receding line by saidsecond sheave means and is also supported jointly by said receding andskidding lines connected thereto; third sheave means carried by saidfirst carriage means; and a tong line passing through said ,third sheavemeans and connected to said second carriage means, whereby said slackpulling line will move said first and second carriages toward each otherand provide slack in said tong line.

3. In apparatus of the class described, sheave means; a driven recedingline drum; carriage means; a receding line operative in spaced relationabove the ground and connected at one end portion to said receding linedrum, passing through said sheave means, and connected at its other endportion to said carriage means; a

driven skidding line drum; a skidding line operative in spaced relationabove the ground and connected at one end portion to said skidding linedrum; first sheave means on said carriage means; a driven slack pullingdrum; a slack pulling line operative in spaced relation above the groundand connected'at one end portion to said slack pulling drum, passingthrough said first sheave means, and fixedly and rotatively connected atits other end portion to said skidding line; second sheave means carriedby said carriage means and mounted for traveling movement on saidreceding line, whereby said carriage means is supported by and fortraveling movement on said receding line by said second sheave means andis also supported jointly by said receding and skidding lines connectedthereto; third sheave means carried by said carriage means; and a tongline passing through said third sheave means and connected to the otherend portion of said skidding line, whereby said slack pulling line willprovide slack in said tong line.

4. In apparatus of the class described, an overhead cable; a firstcarriage means carrying a plurality of sheaves and operatively supportedby said cable for traveling movement thereon; a second carriage meansoperatively supported by said cable for relative traveling movementthereon toward and away from said first carriage; a skidding linefixedly connected with said second carriage; a tong line passing througha sheave in said first carriage and fixedly connected with said secondcarriage; and a slack pulling line fixedly connected with said secondcarriage and passing through sheave means ofsaid first carriage.

PHILIP GRABINSKI.

